The number of people who made reservations for updated omicron-specific bivalent boosters reached almost 100,000, according to health authorities Friday. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said it opened reservations on Thursday to anyone aged 18 or older. The number of people who made reservations as of 5 p.m. on Thursday reached 99,512, the agency added. Previously, updated omicron-specific bivalent boosters were mainly available for people aged 60 or above. But the government dec

Light could be used to treat viral infections in the respiratory tract, such as the common cold, a clinical trial by a local research team showed. A Jeonbuk National University research team led by Jeong Hwan-jeong, a professor at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, and Otorhinolaryngology professor Hong Yong-tae, conducted a clinical trial on treating the common cold with a laser device from March to September. Under the trial, the team's laser device, named "Bye-Vi," was used on

US defense report says China, Russia and North Korea pose major security challenges, vows to strengthen deterrence measures with allies

South Korean police said Friday that they have requested Interpol’s assistance for the capture of two suspects who fled the country after allegedly committing a series of graffiti vandalism on subway cars here. According to Incheon Nonhyeon Police, police have obtained an arrest warrant for the suspects on charges of breaking into a building and damaging property. Since they appear to have already left the country, they have requested Interpol to issue a red notice, investigators said.

Over 60 Vietnamese tourists who entered South Korea this month using the visa-free system have fallen out of contact with immigration authorities, raising suspicion that the individuals came here for illegal stay. Sixty-seven out of 1,600 Vietnamese tourists who came through Yangyang International Airport in Gangwon Province from Oct. 13-25 for packaged tours remain unaccounted for, as of Friday, according to the Korean Immigration Service. Earlier this week, Vietnamese media reported that its F

South Korea and the United States will hold major combined air drills, involving some 240 military aircraft, next week to verify the allies' wartime operational capabilities, the Air Force here said Friday, amid growing North Korean security threats. The five-day Vigilant Storm exercise is set to begin Monday, as Seoul and Washington are striving to sharpen deterrence amid concerns that Pyongyang could ratchet up tensions by conducting a nuclear test or other provocative acts. For the drill

South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 40,000 for the second straight day Friday amid lingering concerns over resurgence woes. The country reported 35,924 new COVID-19 infections, including 60 from overseas, bringing the total to 25,466,992, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Friday's tally is a drop from the weekly peak but 11,173 higher than that logged from the previous week, KDCA data showed. Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said early Friday that daily casel

South Korea has never provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday, after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of negative consequences for the two countries' relations if Seoul sent arms to Ukraine. "We've provided humanitarian and peaceful assistance to Ukraine but never lethal weapons," Yoon told reporters. "It's a matter of sovereignty, and we are trying to maintain peaceful relations with all countries around the world, including Russia." (Y

South Korea plans to release its stockpile of vegetables and salt to cope with the lingering inflation for the annual kimchi-making period ahead of winter, the government said Friday. Under the plan, South Korea will release 5,000 tons of garlic, 1.4 tons of peppers and 3.6 tons of onions starting next week, according to the finance and agricultural ministries. It plans to supply 500 tons of salt reserves to traditional markets as well. "For a considerable period, prices are expected to sta

WASHINGTON -- A nuclear attack by North Korea against the US or its allies will result in the end of the country's regime, the US Department of Defense said Thursday. In its National Defense Strategy, the department said the US will also hold North Korea responsible for any transfer of nuclear weapons or related materials and technology to other actors. "Any nuclear attack by North Korea against the United States or its allies and partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of

　A total of 1,860 cases of digital sex crimes have occurred in elementary, middle and high schools nationwide over the past five years, government data showed. 　Of them, 218 happened in 2018, 464 in 2019, 427 in 2020, 461 in 2021 and 290 as of August 2022, according to a report from the Education Ministry submitted to independent lawmaker Min Hyung-bae. 　By type, illegal filming was reported the most at 30.4 percent, followed by sexual bullying online at 29.8 percent and blackmail to distribu

The South Korean government will dispatch a naval ship and more than 100 personnel to Japan’s international fleet review next month, marking the first time it will participate since 2015. The Yoon Suk-yeol government has decided to accept Japan’s invitation to the international naval event hosted by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday. The international fleet review is set to take place on Nov. 6  in Sagami Bay, off

The ex-directors of the National Intelligence Service, Park Jie-won and Suh Hoon, claimed on Thursday that they were being “wrongfully accused” in the investigations of North Korea controversies from the Moon Jae-in era. In July, the spy agency filed charges against its two former chiefs in a rare move, alleging that Park destroyed the intelligence reports on North Korea’s killing of the fisheries official Lee Dae-jun in 2020 and that Suh prematurely closed the investigative

  The Embassy of Switzerland is hosting the photo exhibition "Spaceless," featuring Swiss and Korean artists’ works, at the Swiss Embassy compound in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. Running from Oct. 22-Nov. 6, it showcases 60 pieces of work from eight Korean and Swiss young contemporary photographers. The new images are created from online search words and photographs automatically taken by drone cameras and produced using 3D programs. "Spaceless" is one of the events h

S.Korea says UN Security Council should resume open debate on N.Korean human rights